Staple with legs having notches and projections



D. A. BROWN March 6, 1962 STAPLE WITH LEGS HAVING NOTCI-IES ANDPROJECTIONS Filed May 26, 1958 h //VI/EN7'0R-' 48 By 9W yWM V ATTORNEYS.

I United States Patent Ofiice 3,023,650 Patented Mar. 6, 1962 3,023,660STAPLE WITH LEGS HAVING NOTCHES AND PROJECTIONS Donald Aubrey Brown,Westlake, Ohio, assignor to Donn Progglcts Incorporated, Westlake, Ohio,a corporation of '0 Filed May 26, 1958, Ser. No. 737,882 1 Claim. (Cl.85-49) This invention relates to an improved staple-type fastener forsecuring wallboard to hollow metal studs of the type disclosed in myPatent No. 2,931,470. In that patent various types of fasteners havebeen suggested for securing the board to the studs, such as an annularnail or screw. Such connectors require more time to use because twohands are requiredone to hold the connector and one to hold the hammerfor driving it into the stud.

One object of the present invention is to provide a staple adapted foruse with a conventional stapling machine so that the staples may bedriven through the board into the stud one after the other, veryquickly, using only one hand.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved stapleconstruction having serrated edges which can be formed from a continuousstrip of metal.

A further object is to provide a staple construction of this type whichcan be readily formed into clips for insertion in the magazine of astapling machine and can be ejected therefrom without jamming.

Another object is to provide a serrated staple construction which can beproduced very cheaply while at the same time providing a'positiveconnection for securing wallboard or the like to metal studs havingslits adapted to receive the serrated staple.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing,wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view, partly in section, of two vertical metalstuds to which wire lath is secured in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 showing a sheet of gypsum boardor the like secured to the vertical hollow metal studs;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged perspective view, partly in section, showing thestaple penetrating the slit provided therefor in the stud;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse sectional view through one of the studs showingthe board secured thereto by a staple constructed in accordance with theinvention;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of a narrow strip of metal having serrated edgesfrom which the staples of the invention may be formed; and

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of a completed staple constructed inaccordance with the invention, and FIG- URE 8 illustrates the two endportions of the staple and the relationship between the projections andnotches in somewhat exaggerated form.

The hollow metal studs with which the staples of the invention cooperatemay be made from a single piece of sheet metal which has been bent toform a pair of generally triangular hollow beams 10, 12 interconnectedwith a central web 14. The studs are of suitable dimension and thicknessto stand considerable compressive load and are intended to replace theconventional 2 x 4 studs commonly used in residential and commercialbuilding. The webs of the studs are provided with openings 16 formed bycutting out the tongue 17 and bending it over against the central webmember just below the opening. These openings 16 are convenientlylocated for passing conduits,

wiring and the like through the walls. They may also be used to supportconduits within the walls.

The hollow triangular beam members 10, 12 are joined to the Web at theirapices by a double reverse bend in the sheet of metal which locks thefree end of the sheet to provide a continuous triangular enclosure. Bymeans of this construction the stud comprising both hollow triangularmembers and the central web may be fabricated from a single sheet ofmetal. The base of the hollow triangular beams 10, 12 is deformed toprovide a central V- shaped groove 30 having side walls 26, 28 which areparallel to the outer walls of the triangular beam. The bottom of thegroove contains a multiplicity of longitudinal slits 32 which areseparated from each other with land 34. These slits extend along theentire length of the stud and serve to receive the staples. The outerportions 22, 24 of the base, disposed on either side of the groove 39,provide a planar support for the wallboard secured thereto. It will beunderstood that the triangular beams 1t 12 of the stud are identical inconstruction. This permits sheathing to be secured to both sides of thestud to form a complete Wall.

Staples 49 constructed in accordance with the invention are adapted tosecure wire lath, gypsum board, rock lath, plywood or the like to thestuds, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. The staples are made from a flat,narrow strip of metal 42 having both edges serrated, as shown in FIGURE6. The serrated edges are continuously uniform, Without variation ordiscontinuity in the alternate notches and projections which extendalong the entire length of each staple. The metal is preferablycold-rolled steel which has been zinc coated or otherwise treated toprevent corrosion. The metal should be sufficiently thick to resistbending as the staple penetrates the wallboard and the slit in the stud.The serrations in both edges of the metal strip comprise alternatenotches 44 and projections 46. It will be noted that the projections 46are wider than the notches 44. This is a very important feature of theinvention. For use, the staples must be inserted in the magazine of astapling machine. To do this conveniently they are arranged side by sideto form a clip. If the notches are the same size as the projections orwider than the projections, adjacent staples in the clip will locktogether and cause the stapling machine to jam. By making theprojections or the land wider than the notches, as shown most clearly inFIGURE 8, interlocking of the staples is prevented. Moreover, in cuttingthe serrations it is necessary to locate each projection opposite anotch to prevent the formation of a narrow neck as where two notches areopposed. This avoids a point of weakness.

It will be further noted that the serrations of the preferredconstruction illustrated are square or rectangular rather thanarrow-shaped, as suggested in the prior art. Unlike the arrow-shapedbarbs, the square serrations do not require the staple to be driven intothe slit of the stud in any particular direction. It will be appreciatedthat barbs require the staple to be inserted with the pointed endsleading. This requires that the staples be cut individually from a fiatsheet with the barbs pointing in opposite directions. By using theserration construction of the invention the staples may be severedindiscriminately from a continuous length of strip material, the edgesof which have been previously serrated without taking any care as to thelocation of the serrations with respect to the cut-oil point. The staplestock is automatically cut in predetermined lengths from a continuousstrip 42 and bent into the U shape shown in FIGURE 7. An X-shaped die isused to cut off each length of staple stock, thereby forming points 48at the ends to 3 facilitate penetration by the staple of the sheathingand slit 32 in the hollow stud.

The staples may be conveniently formed into a clip by aligning them inthe desired manner and applying an adhesive film over the bridge of eachof the staples. The continuous film permits the staples to be handled,shipped and inserted in the magazine of the stapling machine as a unitrather than individually. If desired, the staples can be mechanicallyadhered by deforming the bridge portions laterally to providecomplementary notches and re cesses or the like for detachably securingthe adjacent staples together. It has been found that the staples of theinvention can be driven very rapidly from a conventional staple machinewithout jamming. The wide projeotions 46 allow them to slide over eachother.

In FIGURE 1 wire lath 50 is shown secured to the studs by means of thestaples 40. It will be noted that the lath may be secured to both sidesof the studs to form a unitary wall structure. A base channel 51 may beprovided for supporting the bottom of the studs and for causing them tobe accurately aligned at the location of the wall. The outside of themetal lath is plastered in conventional fashion with a layer of plaster,designated in the drawing by the numeral 52.

In FIGURE 2 I have shown gypsum board 54 secured to the studs by meansof staples 40. The staples will penerated the gypsum board withoutdifficulty. The leading edge of the staple penetrates the slit 32,pushing aside the walls 26, 28 to provide a solid connection.

The land 34 between the slits insures a positive resilient.

grip because it limits the expansion of the slit 32. On those rareoccasions where one leg of the staple may strike the land 34, it willbreak. The land portions are located frequently enough so that even ifone breaks the ability of the edges of the slit to hug the staple is notimpaired. From FIGURE 4 it will be noted howthe edges of the walls 26,28 forming the slit are disposed in the notches 44 to lock the staple sothat it 4 cannot pull out of the stud without application ofconsiderable force.

Thus, by means of the present invention it is possible to fabricate veryrapidly a fire-proof wall.

Although -I have shown and described a preferred form of my invention,it will be understood that various modifications may be made in theconstruction without departing from the true spirit and scope of theinvention. For example, the staples shown and described are notnecessarily limited to use with metal studs but can be used with Wood.The serrations cause the staples to become embedded tenaciously in thewood because the fibers tend to move in behind the serrations. It is,therefore, my intention not to limit my invention other than asnecessitated by the scope of the claim.

What I claim is:

An improved staple for securing sheathing to ahollow metal stud having aresilient slit for receiving said staple comprising a fiat, narrow stripformed of sheet metal bent into U shape and having continuously uniformserrated edges consisting of alternate rectangular notches andprojections, the notches along one edge being opposed by projectionsalong the other edge, said projections being wider than said notches.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,745,308 Gisondi May 15, 1956

